Snooze Foods
The best foods to eat for a good night’s sleep
In recent years, sleep has become widely recognized as playing a vital role in exercise performance along with diet and training. Researchers have been learning more about how proper sleep habits influence everything from recovery to mental performance on the bike. It’s also been shown that a poor night’s rest can lead to unhealthy dietary choices, which won’t do much for helping you maintain race weight. Essentially, sleep is not something to take lightly if you want to push the pace and feel great doing so. Given how much the food we eat affects our bodies on the whole, it seems diet can play a big role in our quality of sleep. Increasing your intake of foods and drinks rich in specific compounds may help you conk out faster and for longer. These edibles and sips are a total snoozefest.
Salmon Going through your day in a zombie-like state? Consider reeling in salmon for dinner more often to help you score better zees. A recent study in the Journal of clinical sleep medicine discovered that people who consumed salmon three times a week for a six-month period experienced improved sleep latency, the length of time that it takes to go from being awake to a deep sleep, compared with those who got more of their protein from chicken, beef or pork. The unique combination of nutrients in this swimmer, including omega-3 fats and vitamin D, might be why it can help stamp your ticket to dreamland. Eating other fatty fish, such as sardines, rainbow trout and Arctic char, could also be sleep boosters.
Chamomile It’s not just hype: sipping a warm cup of chamomile tea at the end of the day can indeed promote a restful snooze. A recent study in Complementaryt herapiesi nmedicine found that 28 days of consuming a chamomile extract improved sleep quality in subjects compared with a placebo. Chamomile contains compounds that appear to have a mild tranquilizing effect on the central nervous system to help ease stress and anxiety and up the odds you won’t be spending the night counting sheep.
Pumpkin Seeds Pumpkin seeds are a good source of tryptophan, the amino acid that is more widely associated with turkey. Your body uses tryptophan to synthesize serotonin and melatonin, two hormones that help regulate sleep patterns. Eating more pumpkin seeds to snooze more soundly is as easy as sprinkling them on oatmeal, yogurt and salads.
Cherry Juice To overcome your sleep woes, consider swapping out your OJ for pucker-worthy cherry juice. A number of research papers have presented data supporting the notion that sipping tart cherry juice can bring about improved sleep quality and duration. The naturally occurring melatonin in tart cherries may give them insomnia-busting powers. Melatonin is a hormone that helps your body maintain its circadian rhythm, otherwise known as your internal clock that tells you when it’s time to go to sleep. The red juice may also reduce the breakdown of tryptophan in our bodies to help us feel more sedated. Look for brands that are made with 100 per cent cherry juice and not diluted with cheap fillers like apple juice.
Quinoa If you want to set yourself up for a night of sweet dreams, you might want to make sure your dinner plate includes a carb-rich food such as quinoa. A study by scientists in Brazil found that consuming a meal with plenty of carbohydrates can help increase sleep duration. Carbohydrates, like those found in whole grains and potatoes, are thought to assist in bringing the amino acid tryptophan into the brain where it’s used to make the calming compound serotonin that can induce a highly-restful slumber.
Lentils A Columbia University study found that a diet rich in fibre – foods such as lentils, beans and vegetables – may help us spend more time in slow-wave sleep, a stage of deep sleep that is particularly restorative to the body. In contrast, the researchers showed that eating less fibre and more saturated fat and sugar was associated with a lighter sleep with more time spent tossing and turning. Perhaps improvements in blood sugar control brought about by a diet rich in fibre may encourage improved sleep quality and less time staring at the ceiling. Lentil soup, anyone?
Popcorn While the golden popcorn at the cinema is a calorie bomb, homemade popcorn is a great sleep-inducing nighttime snack option. As with quinoa, carbohydrates in popcorn work to transfer the amino acid tryptophan into your brain where it’s used to fire up the production of serotonin. It’s not wise to eat a large meal or snack within two hours of bedtime, so the mere 93 calories in three cups popcorn makes it a strategic choice to help you nod off. You can jazz up kernels popped in a saucepan or air-popper with everything from parmesan cheese to dried herbs to lemon zest.